DULUTH, Minn. — Mike Sertich, the longtime University of Minnesota Duluth hockey coach who led the Bulldogs to the NCAA title game in 1984, died Thursday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the school announced. He was 77.
Sertich, a former Duluth defensive back, coached the Bulldogs from 1982-83, compiling a record of 350 wins, 328 losses, and 44 losses in 18 seasons. In the 1984 championship game in Lake Placid, New York, Duluth lost 5-4 to Bowling Green in the fourth overtime.
The 1984 Trainer of the Year, Sertich coached Hall of Famer Brett Hull along with Hobey Baker Award winners Tom Kurvers, Bill Watson and Chris Marinucci.
Sertich led the Bulldogs to three WCHA regular-season titles and two league playoff championships. He coached Michigan Tech from 2000 to 2003, compiling a record of 25-69-9.
A native of Virginia, Minnesota, Sertich was a teacher and assistant coach in Grand Rapids under Gus Hendrickson when the then-Indians won the high school state title in 1975. Hendrickson then moved to Duluth and Sertich followed as an assistant.
